Tennessee is one of the states featured in the Linking Leaders Community for Change Book. Click the image to go to the Linking Leaders book main page and learn more about Tennessee's Linking Leaders program activities.

NASSMC State Summits Implementation Program (NSSIP): The NASSMC State Summits Implementation Program (NSSIP) provides assistance to state based organizations with planning, developing, administering, implementing, following-up and sustaining state mathematics and science education summits. NSSIP grants have been awarded to seven states in April 2005 through funding provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Additional support is provided through a separate grant from the U.S. Department of Education. At least two more solicitations are expected. The Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center held its summit, Tennessee Summit on Mathematics and Science Education: Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Today, on April 11-12 in Nashville. The Summit brought together leaders from across the state in business/industry, government and education to emphasize the urgent need to improve math, science education for all Tennessee students now. There were about 75 participants at the Summit including Governor Bredesen, numerous state legislators and other state government officials, NASA personnel, educators (university and K-12), and representatives from large and small industries (Nissan, TVA, State Farm, Goodman, Schneider-Electric, ARES Corp. and many others).

NES Partnerships for Sustainability: The NES Partnerships for Sustainability Program was launched in 2003 as a pilot to gauge the effectiveness of state-based coalitions working in active collaboration with the NASA Explorer Schools. As part of this pilot funding was awarded to Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center in partnership with Bolivar Elementary School in 2004, to form a collaborative partnership and develop an action plan for sustainability.

Linking Leaders: Linking Leaders for Systemic Improvement (Linking Leaders) is a three-year program co-sponsored by the National Alliance of State Science and Mathematics Coalitions (NASSMC) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It provides resources and opportunities for state-level leadership groups to collaborate with NASA and its affiliates to align NASA resources with the state’s mathematics, science and technology education (MSTE) agenda and to build stronger links between NASA and the state’s business, education and policy communities. The program is also designed to strengthen – or build the commitment to establish – a broad-based coalition to address the state’s STEM education needs. Tennessee entered the Linking Leaders program in 2002 with Linking Leaders 7.